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Macharia Mwangi PUBLISHING OUTPOSTS ON THE KENYAN LITERARY LANDSCAPE: A CRITIQUE OF BUSARA , MŨTIIRI AND KWANI? DOUGLAS MACHARIA MWANGI A Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Literature at the University of Nairobi 2015 DECLARATION This thesis is my original work and has not been submitted for examination or award of a degree in another university: Signature: _______________________ Date__________________ Douglas Macharia Mwangi This thesis has been submitted for examination with our approval as university supervisors: 1st Supervisor: Signature: _______________________ Date__________________ Dr. Tom Odhiambo 2nd Supervisor: Signature: _______________________ Date__________________ Dr. Jennifer Muchiri ii I dedicate this work to Hannah Nyar ũir ũ, for her unwavering support; to Michelle M ũir ũ and Sharleen Wanja, who cheered me up along the way; and to the memory of Peter Mwangi, my dad who passed the baton before he passed on. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank all the people who facilitated the successful completion of this study. First, I am grateful to my supervisors, Dr. Tom Odhiambo and Dr. Jennifer Mũchiri, for giving me insights which helped shape and give direction to my research undertaking right from the proposal stage. Thank you too for providing me with crucial reading materials, for the patience, and the constant reminder that I needed to get done with the research. I am also thankful to other members of staff in the Department of Literature at the University of Nairobi. I thank Prof. Chris Wanjala for the encouragement he gave me in the course of the study. His extensive research on East African literature has been a major source of reference for this study. Prof. Mũch ũgũ Kĩir ũ kept reminding me to remain focused on my study and Prof. Henry Indangasi’s good- tempered criticism has been insightful. Prof. Wanjiku Kabira and Dr. Masumi Odari gave me invaluable support as chairpersons of the Department during their respective tenures. I am equally grateful to members of the Literature Department at Kenyatta University. Dr. Mb ũgua wa Mũngai’s association since our undergraduate days has been a source of immense encouragement. I have also had invaluable support from Prof. Oluoch Obura, Dr. Wasambo Were, Dr. Waveney Olembo, Dr. Wallace Mb ũgua, Dr. Esther Mbithi, Dr. Paul Mũkundi, Dr. M ũgo M ũhia, Dr. John Mugubi, Dr. Justus Makokha, Dr. Kisa Amateshe, Prof. M ũigai wa Gachanja, Oscar Macharia, Makori Mwairumba, Kari ũki Banda, Gachanja Kiai, iv Mark Chetambe, Charles Kebaya, Jane Wakar ĩnd ĩ and George Nyandoro as colleagues. I am also indebted to Prof. Kĩmani Njogu for his interest in my study and for linking me with Ng ũgĩ wa Thiong’o. I thank Ng ũgĩ for sharing with me information on Mũtiiri and giving me more contacts for further consultation. I also thank Prof. Emilia Illieva who suggested important references for me. Prof. Chege Gĩthiora was also a source of encouragement. I also thank Sammy Gakero for the discussions and for being so resourceful in helping me to get some crucial reading materials and Dr. Ezekiel Kaigai for his rigorous editorial input in this thesis. I also express my gratitude to all my family: My wife, Hannah Nyar ũir ũ who shared the pressure. Thank you for helping in typing my work and for being supportive throughout the course. Michelle and Sharleen always waited at the door for dad to come home. I thank Kibe David and his family; Peter Maina and his family; the Wangais; Angeline, Peter and George – you all gave me the impetus to keep working on my research. I am also thankful to Mr. and Mrs. Gerishom Njoroge for their support. Finally, I am grateful to Julia M ũir ũ, my mother, who has kept the faith through the years and Peter Mwangi, my father, who went ahead of us with the satisfaction that I had made good use of his wise counsel. v CONTENTS Declaration .................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... iv Abstract ..................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER ONE .......................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background to the Study ....................................................................................... 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem ...................................................................................... 9 1.3 Objectives ............................................................................................................ 10 1.4 Hypotheses ........................................................................................................... 10 1.5 Justification .......................................................................................................... 10 1.6 Literature Review ................................................................................................ 12 1.7 Theoretical Framework ........................................................................................ 22 1.8 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 27 1.9 Scope and Limitation ........................................................................................... 28 1.10 Chapter Breakdown ........................................................................................... 29 CHAPTER TWO ....................................................................................................... 32 BUSARA AND THE BIRTH OF MODERN KENYAN LITERATURE ................. 32 2.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 32 2.2 Insights from the Oral Tradition .......................................................................... 43 2.3 Mau Mau and the Sour Fruits of Independence .................................................. 47 2.4 Urbanization and Transition to Modernity .......................................................... 56 2.5 The Black-White Man, the White Lady and Anti-Colonial Sex ......................... 66 2.6 A Portrait of Asians in Kenya .............................................................................. 72 2.7 The Rise of Written East African Poetry ............................................................. 75 2.8 Busara and Literary Criticism ............................................................................. 88 2.9 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 96 CHAPTER THREE ................................................................................................... 99 THE POSTCOLONIAL CONDITION AND THE POETICS OF EXILE IN MŨTIIRI .................................................................................................................... 99 vi 3.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 99 3.2 Tracking the Roots of Mũtiiri in Ng ũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Literary Career ........... 101 3.3 The Historical Context of Mũtiiri ...................................................................... 115 3.4 Dons, Dissidents and Exiles ............................................................................. 120 3.5 Repression and Resistance in Postcolonial Kenya ........................................... 122 3.6 Language, Popular Culture and Technology ..................................................... 147 3.7 Home and Exile ................................................................................................ 164 3.8 Conclusion ......................................................................................................... 170 CHAPTER FOUR ................................................................................................... 174 SUB-VERSIONS, RE-GENERATIONS AND THE QUEST FOR RELEVANCE IN KWANI? ................................................................................................................... 174 4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 174 4.2 Re-imagining Nationalism and Transnationalism ............................................ 181 4.3 Representations of History in Kwani? ............................................................. 186 4.3.1 Re-telling the Histories of Pre-colonial Societies .......................................... 187 4.3.2 Stories from the Mau Mau Archive ............................................................... 191 4.3.3 Kwani? and the Post-Kenyatta Politics .......................................................... 197 4.3.4 Portraits of Ethnicity and Political Violence .................................................. 200 4. 4 Representation of Urban Youth Culture ........................................................... 209 4.5 Exotic Destinations and Diaspora Narratives .................................................. 217 4.6 Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 226 CHAPTER FIVE ....................................................................................................
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